2008 Liverpool Beer Festival

Feb 16 2008 by Mike Chapple, Liverpool Daily Post

IN PAST columns, the traditional image of the male strain of the real ale drinker has come under the spotlight.

He’s a Captain Birdseye type figure, with Space Hopper tum, beard, and ruddy cheeks who has a penchant for whipping out the squeeze box hidden down his dungarees and subsequently warbling a selection of English folk songs about the glory days of black puddings, canals and the utilitarian advantages to be found from living in a brown paper bag.

In these days of modern enlightenment, however, us REAL real ale drinkers now know this is a shamefull stereotype that should be confined to the past (although sightings of this rare breed of Beerbellyius Beardie Bombasticus may still be found in enclaves north of Burscough).

But the stereotype of the female strain of the species, hereby unaddressed, is perhaps even less appealing.

Clad in sensible shoes and even more sensible all-weather jacket – invariably coloured beige – she’ll shrewishly scratch down on her ring-bound notebook verdicts on the quality of the half pint of ale being studiously sipped. This will be done with the earnestness and lack of enjoyment usually shown by a bulldog chewing a wasp.

Again it’s a lazy image which belongs to antiquity if, indeed, it ever existed much at all.

Mud, though, does stick – which is why in the past few years the Campaign for Real Ale has been at pains to banish the notion that the world of the great cask beer supping adventure is the domain of nerds living on the fringe of bonkersdom, hey nonney-no old fart traditionalists and the downright elitist.

The much anticipated and long sold out 2008 Liverpool Beer Festival in the crypt of Paddy’s Wigwam was a case in point. The theme for this year was female drinkers – or as Father Jack from Father Ted might have put it “Gerls!!!” and “Drenk!!!”.

The opening session on Wednesday was put aside as Ladies’ Night in which invited females were asked to try a variety of different beers to see which took their fancy best.

Centre stage was 19-year-old Harriet Easton, from Shropshire, who was doling out her “woman-friendly” 4.2% Harry’s Beer.

She maintains that the way real ale is branded in this country is an absolute turn-off for women whose tastes she claims are catered for with her light brew which is tinted with the essence of citrus such as lime and orange.

Jackie Moore, of the Liverpool and Districts Camra branch – which once again flawlessly organised the presentation of around 250 real ales from around the country – differed somewhat in her opinion. She maintained that the variety of real ales appealed to a wide variety of people regardless of their gender or palate.

Whatever.

The Pub Column took along a willing guinea pig to the debate, Lady Penelope of Pensby. She – despite being more of a fine brandy and lemo girl (double, no ice, ta ever so) – needs no persuading when invited to participate in experiments of a food and drink bent.

She missed out on the Harry’s Beer but wasted no time trying the roster of locally-produced beers which was also part of the opening night showcase.

Stunning in their number and variety, they included the creamy Cheeky Pheasant and the delicately topical Valentine’s Kiss from the George Wright Brewery of Rainford. There was also the rich Oystercatcher stout from Wirral’s Brimstage Brewery and the Betwixt BeWilder fuelled by wild Wirral hops. Plus lots, lots, more, bedded down with lovely snacks provided by John O’Dowd from the Lion and Paddy Byrne’s Everyman Bistro.

And the verdict?

This Lady WAS for turning.